「Private or Group Lesson (Sports)」カテゴリーアーカイブ

Ann Zhao: 弓道 with 古屋先生 at Kyoto City Budo Center

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For my CIP, I went to the Kyoto City Budo Center once or twice every week for two hours each practice and tried Kyudo under 古屋先生! Kyudo is not quite like the competitive sports I have tried in the States. It is kind of like archery, but more focused on the presentation and the process of drawing the bow rather than aiming and hitting the target. I picked this CIP in the first place because I wanted to do some sort of exercises, and I also wanted to build more upper body strength. This CIP works perfectly for my personal goals!

Connecting with the local community at the Budo Center can be a bit challenging. Communicating with 古屋先生 gets challenging at times, but he is really sweet and very funny (i hope my Japanese is good enough to understand all of his jokes). As clumsy as I am, I still really enjoyed Kyudo! I think the repetition of the same movements and focusing entirely on my body is a new and meditative experience for me. It was also very rewarding (especially when I actually hit the target) and relaxing.

I recommend this CIP to anyone looking for a new experience and wanting to move their bodies a bit! To put it simply, Kyudo is just really cool-looking. 🙂

Noah Bell: Kyūdo Lessons

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A picture of me about to fire an arrow

For my CIP this semester, I had the opportunity to learn Kyūdo under Furuya Sensei at the Kyoto Budo center. For about 2 hours each week, we worked hard to learn the forms and etiquettes of Japanese traditional archery. Our lessons were conducted entirely in Japanese.

The experience was quite challenging at times, but super rewarding since you could see steady progress each week. On top of that, Furuya Sensei was super kind and had a good sense of humor. He was hard to understand at times, but he knew we were trying our best and would show how proud he was of our effort which made me feel super happy and grateful.

If you’re looking to learn Kyūdo, my advice would be to let yourself make mistakes because you are going to make a lot of them. There are so many practices that everyone around you will already know, so don’t feel embarrassed if you mess up or get corrected as it’s all part of the learning experience. Also, I would say to try not to worry too much about your success in hitting the target. KyÅ«do, like many Japanese traditional arts, is about form above all else. If you get the forms correct, accuracy will follow, not the other way around.

Jordan Jones: Kyudo

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My CIP was taking weekly Kyudo lessons. Kyudo is traditional Japanese archery that focuses more on the control and movement rather than getting a bullseye.

The experience was both challenging and rewarding. I gained a deeper understanding of Japanese culture and customs while honing my archery skills. It gave me opportunities for personal growth and reflection, instilling a sense of discipline and resilience both in and outside of the dojo.

My advice to incoming students is even if you have no prior experience with Kyudo or archery at all, embrace the learning process with an open mind, staying patient with yourself, and appreciating the journey of self-discovery that comes with exploring a new cultural practice. Approach each lesson with an open mind and willingness to learn because the journey itself holds valuable lessons in discipline, self-awareness, and cross-cultural understanding.

Isaac Lopez: Taekwondo

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My activity was Taekwondo which is a kicking based martial art that originated in Korea. Here at my CIP I was able to take lessons/train alongside members of Mivlo Kyoto.

It was really fun! The people are all really nice and the instructors are understanding. All in all I can definitely say it helped improve my technique, with the volume of training we do per day you’re bound to make some improvement compared to when you start.

It helped a lot that I had prior experience, otherwise it definitely would’ve been a bit more difficult in the beginning. Also make sure you have lots of stamina if not sheer willpower, warm ups will leave you dazed and drenched in sweat if you’re not used to it.

AJ Gallagher: Kyudo

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For my CIP activity this semester, I chose to do Kyudo, which is the traditional Japanese sport of archery. I call it a sport, which it is, but it’s more focused on the actions, form, and mindfulness than it is on actually hitting the target. Slowly feeling yourself improve and go from practicing with a rubber band, to a real bow, to a bow and arrow, to finally stepping out into the dojo and shooting at the target was an incredibly fun journey, Overall, I really enjoyed it, but it was pretty uncomfortable at first being the only foreigners in the dojo. It was also Tuesday from 6 to 7:30 or 8, which meant that for people who are living far away from the dojo you can be stuck on campus from noon until 6. Also, the sensei is INCREDIBLY kind and patient, but also talks quickly and in thick Kansai accent, so I’d steer clear of this as a CIP if you’re not confident in your listening ability.

Wilson Zhang: Kyudo

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I took Kyudo classes, which was held in the Kyoto Budo Center, because I wanted to learn something culturally related to Japan, so I chose Kyudo, a Japanese martial arts of archery. I had never done Kyudo before, but as I continued to take classes I slowly improved from the Sensei’s amazing lessons and resources. I found myself enjoying learning the techniques and the cultural aspects of Kyudo. If you want to learn a unique martial art, I really recommend Kyudo.

For future study abroad students, in any CIP you choose, my advice is that when you don’t understand something, the most important part is to ask questions. Not knowing what the other person is saying, can ultimately cause more confusion to both you and the other person. By asking questions, eventually, not only, you will be able to learn new vocabulary, but also the other person can speak in a way that can be much clearer to you.

Ayane Garrison: Aikido

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For my CIP I took Aikido classes as an absolute beginner. Aikido is a Japanese martial art that focuses on redirecting your oppon

ent’s momentum to defend yourself, rather than offensively attacking. I’ve really enjoyed not only learning Aikido’s incredible techniques and philosophy, but getting to know and learn from the people in the Dojo I’ve been visiting. My Aikido classes have been in a warm, welcoming environment, largely due to the kindness and care Sugai-Sensei spreads throughout the Dojo. I’d highly recommend taking Aikido classes at Chiseikan Dojo if you are at all interested in Japanese martial arts, whether a beginner or a black belt. It’s a great opportunity to meet a variety of people of different ages, and work on a useful and super cool skill. Both English and Japanese are spoken in the Dojo, so I’d recommend asking that the Senseis speak to you only in Japanese, which they were happy to do for me once they understood I was hoping to improve my language skills.

 

Wanlin Jin: Yoga

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This semester I did yoga at a local yoga studio. I did the beginner level yoga class for the first half of the semester, and the classes were inside my comfort zone because the movements weren’t really hard. Furthermore, since there were a lot of foreign learners in the studio, the classes were taught in both English and Japanese so that everyone could follow. The later half of the semester, I switched to Ashtanga yoga, which was my first time to try and it was really hard. However, it was also rewarding to witness my own progress within just a few lessons.

I felt really comfortable when I was in the studio, because the atmosphere there was just so soft and gentle, and everyone I encountered seemed to be nice even though I didn’t really exchange words with them. I like practicing there because learners wouldn’t compete with each other (which is usually the case of yoga) and just focus on their own bodies, but everyone would be happy to offer some help if it’s within their capacity. Therefore, I really had an unforgattable experience there.

Advice for whoever read this post: first of all thank you for reading! I would suggest just go with your guts, go for wharever you are passionate about and take the first step. Be aware of the cultural differences, so try not to be rude, but it’s always OK to ask questions politely about anything you don’t understand. Consult your teachers, peers, if necessary and I’m sure you will enjoy your CIP!

Uriel Doddy – Kyūdō

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For my CIP, I took kyūdō lessons at the Kyoto City Budō Center. Kyūdō is a very unique and interesting sport (quite different from western archery) with a pretty steep learning curve, and because most people in the dojo speak little English, I would imagine it would be a bit difficult for someone without a fair amount of conversation experience in Japanese.

However, for someone who is patient and passionate, the language barrier shouldn’t stop you from trying it. The instructors are very kind and patient and often physically demonstrate the techniques they’re describing, and it’s very rewarding to feel like you learned a traditional Japanese sport in Japanese. It gave me a lot of valuable firsthand experience in a new context, and was a true highlight of my semester.

Jessica Frantzen: Kyudo

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For my CIP, I learned kyudo, or Japanese archery, at the Kyoto City Budo Center Kyudojo under Furuya-sensei (entirely in Japanese!). I learned the process of kyudo all the way from entering the dojo properly and respectfully to firing with two arrows in hand, which was surprisingly complex and something I still make mistakes with from time to time.

In learning kyudo, I’ve had both times where I get frustrated with myself for making the same mistakes over and over and times where I’m proud of the progress I make. Moreover, I’ve learned a lot about the importance of respect for others (as seen in the proper bows and procedures we learn for entering and leaving the dojo, and even in the process of firing the bow) and self-improvement in this sport that I hope to take with me to other, future activities. In kyudo, what matters most is not winning, but slowly and surely improving on oneself without being in a hurry.

To anyone interested in practicing kyudo as a CIP, I would advise you to remember that kyudo is a complex sport, and you’re not going to be able to perfect all of the movements in one go. One place to start is learning the eight steps of kyudo before going in, so you can know what your teacher’s talking about when they mention them. If you can, coming in early and staying late will allow you to learn a bit faster, since you’ll get more practice in, and you’ll also get a chance to get to know your teacher better. But mostly, be sure to give yourself patience, ask your teacher often if you have questions on whether you’re doing something right, and enjoy being able to take time to slowly improve on yourself and learn such a traditional and complex sport!